» Nick Green’s 100 Percent Soccer blogThe Galaxy pulled off a predictable move and made a safe pick in Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft while Chivas USA got the player it wanted without having to make a move.

The Galaxy’s short flurry of activity reunited the MLS Cup finalists with 33-year-old Clint Mathis, the veteran who began his career with the Galaxy in 1998 after being drafted by the club in the first round.

It took a trade of their first-round pick (No. 15 overall) and a third-round choice in 2011 to Real Salt Lake to acquire Mathis and the No. 16 selection. Real Salt Lake used that choice at No. 15 to draft Collen Warner of Portland, and the Galaxy then chose UCLA midfielder Michael Stephens.

To complete the circle, the Galaxy later reacquired their 2011 third-round pick by trading the No. 39 choice to Real Salt Lake, the team that beat the Galaxy in the MLS Cup.

Stephens has been training with the Galaxy’s under-20 team and spent about a month with the senior squad, so his transition from the college game could be seamless. The Galaxy’s last two first-round picks, defenders Sean Franklin and Omar Gonzalez, captured MLS Rookie of the Year honors.

Chivas USA, which held the 10th pick in the first round, anticipated trading up but instead found the Akron midfielder it targeted, Blair Gavin, available.

After losing veteran defender Shavar Thomas in the expansion draft, Chivas used its No. 35 pick to pick up Maryland defender Kevin Tangney.

Chivas added Dayton midfielder Isaac Kissi with the 42nd pick, chose another Akron midfielder, Ben Zemanski, at No. 47 and closed out its draft with midfielder Chris Ross of Colgate at No. 58.

Gavin and Zemanski helped Akron to a 23-1-1 record and a spot in the NCAA final.

“That was our man,” new Chivas coach Mart n Vasquez said at the draft in Philadelphia. “We welcome him to our team, to our family and I feel that he’s going to make an immediate impact on our team.

“We see him playing as a holding midfielder. He can also be a creative player, so we have a huge plus. He’s an excellent ball-winner, he has great vision, he reads the game well.”

The acquisition of Mathis follows the same path coach/general manager Bruce Arena established last year in building the Western Conference champions. Arena brought in a slew of veterans to hold the fort while the club awaited the late arrivals of Landon Donovan and David Beckham and young players developed.

Mathis started 24 games for Real Salt Lake last year and had seven assists and two goals, which brought his career total to 61. He scored 15 goals in two-plus seasons with the Galaxy from 1998-2000.

He also played in Greece and Germany and scored 12 goals in 46 matches with the U.S. national team. He had two goals during the 2002 World Cup, when the U.S. reached the quarterfinals.